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There are currently 18 member reviews
for Daughters of the Witching Hill
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Carol N. (Alabama)
Blessings and curses in 17th century England
This book is based on the true story from 17th century England of people who were tried, convicted and hanged for witchcraft. The story is told from two people; the grandmother who is a "blesser" and her granddaughter who wanted to ignore her gift. Reading this book made me see how swiftly accusations and mob mentality could get out of control and cause irreparable damage, especially to those so poor they had no representation in the courts. The language and voice of the book added to the story. I especially liked the last half of the book from the perspective of the granddaughter.
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Lola T. (Broken Arrow, OK)
Daughters of the Witching Hill
This was an outstanding read!!! I couldn't put it down and even gave up computer time (gasp!!) to read it. I loved the way the author incorporated the manner of speech of those times; I found only once instance of contemporary vernacular and it really jarred me. I truly felt I was there with Bess and Alizon in those late 1500's, experiencing not only the grinding poverty, but the happiness that the common folk felt. I'll be recommending this book to all my fellow historical novel lovers!! Well-researched and very well written!
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Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
Steeped in History
A brooding, atmospheric setting in England in the 1600's tells the story of the hard scrabble life of Bess Southern, a "wise woman" who only used her talents for healing or blessing people to support her family. Her daughters and granddaughters inherit the talent but not the wisdom for using it. I was drawn into the story and became attached to the characters as they tried to make a life for themselves in a community increasingly suspicious of anything even remotely related to witchcraft. Based on actual witchcraft trials in Pendle in1612, there is enough history to make the tale believable and enough magic to make it a gripping read.
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Beverly J. (Huntersville, NC)
Ignorance Is Not Bliss
I was pulled into the story from the beginning despite knowing what the ending. The joy in this book is the telling of the story and the language describing the period. I very much enjoy a good historical fiction and once again Mary Sharratt does not disappoint the reader in providing a well-researched book.
While reading the story of the three generations of “healing” women that lived in the late 16th/early 17th century, I was taken with the living the conditions of the time, especially for those less fortunate Just imagine having to walk many miles to Sunday church service and then to have to stand throughout the entire service because you are poor. As a reader, I learned about the use of religion as a means of power control over the people and any diversion of thought and act was not tolerated. And at times, it reminded me of the current times, when we are becoming less tolerant of others who are not exactly like us.
Bess Southerns, aka Mother Demdike, was using the only skill she had to provide for her family, in a time of limited resources. That the use of herbs and plants could be considered witchcraft when these were the only medical resources available at the time, gave me a better understanding on why we “lost” the understanding of plants in keeping us healthy.
I encourage all to read this enchanting story as it will have a lasting effect on you on how the world has changed and then really not changed over the last several hundred years.
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Chris (Wauwatosa, WI)
Daughters of the Witching Hill
I found this to be a very captivating book of historical fiction. It was difficult to put down right from the beginning as the author drew me into the life of Bess Southerns and her family. It's fascinating to think of the times of the witch trials and read an account, even a fictional one, of how a community can get caught up in blame and persecution of an individual and then a family when something is wrong or unexplained. Certainly not a novel concept throughout history. I recommend this book without hesitation!
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Jodie A. (CORPUS CHRISTI, TX)
Daughters of the Witching Hill
Although parts of this book moved a little slowly I enjoyed reading this book. The subject matter was very interesting and the characters were unique. It had a mystical quality to it and I felt like I was being drawn into a unique place and time in history. The last quarter of the book really picked up the pace. I think a book club could have some good discussions about the days of people being accused of witchcraft.
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Patricia S. (Chicago, IL)
Daughters of the Witching Hill
When I first received this book, I realized that it wasn't the sort I'd usually pick up. No grand courts, no fancy gowns, no famous historical personages. Just poor, old women, poorer farms and some hints of the events of the times. Then I started reading it and Mother Demdyke hooked me. An old peasant woman, who becomes a healer late in her life, she had such a personality that I had to learn everything I could about her. Through her reminiscences, we learn of the closing of the abbeys, the Spanish Armada and the accession of King James I of England. She also remembers the church festivals and holidays (more for the frolicking and feasting than the services!) and some of the folk wisdom of the time. Her experiences with her familiar, Tibb, gives a view of early 17th century witchcraft that history books leave out--the healer who chants old Latin prayers as she "charms" the people and animals she cures. Another old woman, once Demdyke's best friend, is the local evil witch, cursing the man who raped her daughter. this deed comes back to haunt the community in the end, though.
Mother Demdyke narrates the first half of the book and her granddaughter narrates the second. I liked Mother Demdyke better as a narrator, she had the personal experiences to relate while her granddaughter only knows what her grandmother told her. In the second half, Mother Demdyke is merely an old, blind woman, not the powerful matriarch of the first half. Her granddaughter, while beautiful, is not nearly as smart, which brings the whole family to disaster, charged as witches and taken to the nearest town for trial and execution. I felt the second half of the book lacked the depth of the first half, and the ending was both rushed and obvious. However, the setting was wonderfully described and the characters extremely memorable.
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